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Turkey Ties Further Strained As Envoy Called In Over Flag Controversy

ISRAEL

Israeli Foreign Minsiter Israel Katz has summoned the Turkish Deputy Ambassador after the Turkish flag was lowered to half-mast at the country's embassy in Tel Aviv in remembrance of Hamas' political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in a targeted explosion in Tehran earlier this week.

  • Katz said in a statement that "Israel will not accept expressions of participation in mourning for a murderer like Ismail Haniyeh...If embassy representatives want to mourn, let them go to Turkey and mourn together with their master Erdogan, who embraces the terrorist organization Hamas and supports its murderous acts.”
  • Ultranationalist Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said that embassy staff are welcome to "completely remove the flag and return to their homeland."
  • Relations between Turkey and Israel are already at multi-year lows, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan one of the most vociferous critics of Israel's war on Hamas in Gaza, calling Israel's actions a genocide against the Palestinian people.
  • Reuters reported on 1 August that Turkey has blocked any attempts of cooperation between NATO and Israel since the 7 October attacks by Hamas, while Erdogan's commentsin late July regarding 'entering' Israel saw FM Katz call on NATO to expel Turkey.

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